Lotte Moos facts for kids

Margarete Charlotte Moos (born Jacoby; 9 December 1909 – 3 January 2008) was a German-born poet and playwright. She was also active in politics.

Early Life and First Writings

Lotte Moos was born in Berlin on 9 December 1909. Her parents were Samuel and Luise Jacoby. She showed a talent for writing at a young age. In 1919, when she was only ten years old, her essay about refugees from Eastern Europe was published. It appeared in a famous newspaper called the Berliner Tageblatt. The editor, Theodor Wolff, even thanked her personally.

Later, Lotte worked at the Workers' Theatre. There, she met Siegfried Moos, an economist who shared her political views. They married in 1932.

Leaving Germany and New Adventures

In 1933, Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. Because of this, Lotte and Siegfried had to leave their home country. They first went to Paris and then moved to London. Lotte wanted to study at the LSE, but her German school qualifications were not accepted.

In 1936, the British government did not renew her visa. So, Lotte traveled to the Soviet Union. She wanted to see what life was like there. However, she soon became unhappy with the way the country was run under Joseph Stalin. She managed to return to Britain.

When she came back, British authorities received some information about her. She was arrested and questioned by MI5, which is a British intelligence agency. She was held in Holloway Prison. Later, during World War II, she was held on the Isle of Man. This happened because she was from Germany, a country Britain was at war with.

Life in Oxford and Durham

After being released, Lotte joined her husband in Oxford. Siegfried was working at the Institute of Statistics there. Lotte took on many different jobs. She worked as a nursemaid, a translator, a typist, and a teacher. She also wrote a column for a German newspaper in London. She used the pen name Maria Lehmann for her writings.

After the war, Siegfried became a teacher at Durham University. Lotte, Siegfried, and their baby daughter moved to Durham. Lotte enjoyed acting in plays there. She also continued to write her own plays, still using the name Maria Lehmann. In May 1964, one of her comedies was performed in London. It was called Come Back With Diamonds and was about a political prisoner returning to Moscow.

Moving to London and Published Poetry

In 1966, Lotte and Siegfried moved to Hackney in London. Siegfried became an adviser for the Board of Trade. Both Lotte and Siegfried wrote poetry during this time. Lotte had three collections of her poems published. Some of her work was also included in a poetry book called The New British Poetry in 1988.

Siegfried passed away in 1988. Lotte Moos died on 3 January 2008 in London. Their daughter, Merilyn, later wrote a book about her father. This book also included her search to find out what happened to her mother's Jewish parents in Germany during the time of the Nazis.

Published Poetry